Digital Commons Network^™

Discovering Antimicrobial Compounds In Valparaiso University’S Medicinal Garden, Gracie Holt, Megan Wolf, Hannah Gabriel

Symposium on Research and Creative Expression (SORCE)

Abstract: According to the W.H.O. (2024 data), infectious diseases account for three of the top ten global causes of death. Antimicrobial drug discovery surged in the mid-twentieth century but has sharply declined in recent years. At the same time, antimicrobial-resistant “superbug” infections are on the rise. Plants produce a robust array of novel metabolic compounds including many antimicrobial agents. However, with the advent of modern antibiotic drugs, natural plant-derived antibiotic sources have largely been left unexplored. Therefore, our work focuses on screening medicinal plants in hopes of discovering novel antimicrobial drugs. To accomplish this, we have been testing extracts of …

Perceptions Of Northwest Indiana’S Community Supports And Resources For Caregivers Of Children With Disabilities, Veronica Lin, Julianna Colon

Symposium on Research and Creative Expression (SORCE)

Background: Caregivers of children with disabilities in Northwest Indiana (NWI) face limited services and often receive unclear, overwhelming information, leaving them unsure how to access support.

Methods: This qualitative study conducted semi-structured interviews with six caregivers across Porter, Lake, and La Porte counties. Participants completed a single 30-40 minute interview about their experiences with community resources and ideal support. Transcribed interviews were thematically analyzed.

Results: All six caregivers used at least one form of community support. Common resources included Facebook support groups (n=6), outpatient therapies (n=5), and First Steps (n=4). Five key themes emerged: (1) importance of early intervention and …

Magnetonanozymes For Enhanced Remineralization And Dentin Tubular Occlusion In Vitro., Alexis I. Maxey, Richard L. Gregory, Hadeel Ayoub

Symposium on Research and Creative Expression (SORCE)

Dental caries is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases worldwide, and stannous fluoride (SnF₂) is a compound known for its remineralizing and antimicrobial properties. Ferumoxytol, a superparamagnetic nanoparticle with enzyme-like activity, has been shown to enhance the antimicrobial activity of SnF₂. This in vitro study evaluated the remineralization, antimicrobial, and dentin tubular occlusion effects of ferumoxytol-stabilized SnF₂ (Fer-SnF₂) at full and quarter concentrations compared to SnF₂ alone and a negative control. It was hypothesized that Fer-SnF₂ would enhance dentin surface hardness recovery following an acid challenge and promote dentin tubule …

Phoenix: Gpu-Accelerated Polarized Radiative Transfer For Curved Spacetime, Christopher Noga

Symposium on Research and Creative Expression (SORCE)

The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), in its famous 2019 image, proved that directly imaging a supermassive black hole at the event horizon scale is possible. Understanding these observations requires effort on multiple fronts, including comparing them against synthetic images generated by post-processing general relativistic magnetohydrodynamics (GRMHD) simulations, which describe how magnetized plasma behaves in the strong-field limit, such as near a black hole. Bridging the gap between these simulations and observations involves general relativistic ray-tracing (GRRT), which tracks how light rays propagate through curved spacetime, producing synthetic images that can be directly compared to EHT data. The quantitative techniques that …

Vista: April 30, 2026, University Of San Diego

USD Vista (1965-)

No abstract provided.

Preface Vol. 27 No. 2, The Editors Wacana

Wacana, Journal of the Humanities of Indonesia

No abstract provided.

Appreciative Commoning; Musical Knowledge-Sharing In Earhouse Songwriting Club, Arya J. P. Adyuta

Wacana, Journal of the Humanities of Indonesia

This article develops the concept of “appreciative commoning” to focus on the importance of appreciation in musical community practices. By examining the practices of musical knowledge-sharing in the Earhouse Songwriting Club (ESC), a songwriting community, this article argues that greater attention should be paid to the roles of appreciation and support in facilitating media and cultural commoning in Indonesia. The article draws on ethnographic fieldwork in Earhouse, an initiative space located in Pamulang, South Tangerang, established by the musician duo Endah N Rhesa. Exploring three main activities of the community: weekly meetings, monthly showcases, and afterparties, I show how embracing …

From Memory To Commons; Cultural Commoning And Regional Filmmaking In Indonesia, Jordy Satria Widodo, Shuri M.G. Tambunan

Wacana, Journal of the Humanities of Indonesia

This article examines cultural commoning in Indonesian cinema by analysing how ethnic specificity is mobilized and articulated through storytelling, production, and circulation. Focusing on Ngeri-Ngeri Sedap (2022), the study shows how Bataknese cultural elements in this film are activated not as commodified spectacles or exotic markers, but as lived social resources embedded in the narration and its production process. At the narrative level, it is grounded in the everyday practices of family life and memory. At the level of production, the Bataknese director, art director, and cinematographer draw on shared personal experiences to shape the film’s narrative development and cinematographic …

Gerry Van Klinken (Ed.) (2025), "Bacaan Bumi; Pemikiran Ekologis Untuk Indonesia", Amanda Lathifah Laksmana Putri

Wacana, Journal of the Humanities of Indonesia

No abstract provided.

Determinants Of Revolutionary Violence: A Comparative Analysis Of The Carnation Revolution And The Stono Rebellion, Eva Fava-Rodrigues

History Department Student Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Gender Dynamics In Upward Influence: Career Outcomes And Organizational Implications, Carrie Berg Ed.D.

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

This study explores gender-based differences in the perceptions and outcomes of upward influence strategies within nonprofit organizations. Using qualitative thematic analysis grounded in Social Role Theory and Impression Management Theory, this research draws from structured questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with 37 professionals across diverse nonprofit sectors. Findings reveal that men’s influence efforts are more frequently perceived as credible and authoritative, while similar strategies used by women are often subjected to increased scrutiny and bias. Key themes include gendered influence styles, differential recognition and credibility, mental and emotional labor, organizational gatekeeping, leadership receptivity, and informal networks. The study contributes to understanding …

What Makes Leaders In Human Services Effective? A Pilot Study Linking Systems Thinking, Perspective-Taking, And Leadership Success, Ryan Witterschein

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Leadership effectiveness is a persistent challenge in human services nonprofits, where organizations serving individuals with disabilities and complex needs have grown dramatically but lack validated tools for assessing the cognitive competencies that distinguish effective leaders. This quantitative pilot study introduces the ABA Leadership Assessment Tool version 2.0 (ABLA 2.0), a 48-item instrument integrating transformational and transactional leadership frameworks with three constructs from Relational Frame Theory—perspective-taking, temporal reasoning, and systems thinking. Eight Board Certified Behavior Analysts in organizational leadership roles completed the assessment, yielding 100% completion and strong preliminary reliability across all subscales (α = .71–.94). Leaders who demonstrated stronger cognitive …

Separating Access Legitimacy From Utilization Analytics: A Two-Layer Evaluation Model For Philanthropy And Development, Stephanie Zabriskie

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

This article introduces a two-layer evaluation model for philanthropic and development decision-making in access-based interventions. The first layer treats Access as Outcome (AAO) as a recognized outcome when essential goods, services or resources are delivered through a viable delivery pathway, without requiring post-access utilization or compliance to validate legitimacy. The second layer evaluates post-access variation through System Coherence Conditions (SCC), defined as internal alignment across governance and decision-making, distribution and logistics, social accountability and norms, and scarcity management and continuity, which explain differences in utilization, continuity, and downstream effects as signals of system coherence rather than as retroactive worthiness thresholds. …

Utilizing Supervised Practice In School Settings As An Opportunity To Increase Student Awareness Of Food Waste Reduction Strategies, Maria Givler

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) play a vital role in facilitating nutritional health across a wide range of settings, from clinical care to community-based environments. As the profession continues to evolve, dietetics training programs are emphasizing experiential learning opportunities that address real-world public health challenges (Wegener, 2018). One such challenge is food waste, an issue with significant nutritional, environmental, and economic implications (Seberini, 2020). Within school food service systems, where millions of meals are served daily (Toossi et al.,2024), reducing waste while maintaining student satisfaction presents both a challenge and an opportunity. This article will discuss four ways supervised practice rotations …

When Social Fundraising Is Active But Hard To Measure: Nonprofit Lessons From Social Media Roi Research, Dr. Blair W. Loveland

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

This article examines a nonprofit measurement problem that appears when social media is used to support fundraising but the organization cannot clearly connect that activity to a measurable financial result. The article draws on a non-experimental quantitative survey of 106 participants in roles tied to marketing, sales, or revenue reporting. The findings showed that social media use was common, but visibility into spending, formal ROI tracking, and end-to-end attribution was often weak. Seventy percent of respondents who answered the spend question did not know their organization's annual social media spend, 59 percent of respondents who answered the ROI question said …

Enhancing Transparency And Accountability In Federally Funded Nonprofits: A Convergent Framework Integrating Artificial Intelligence Analytics And Blockchain Technology, David A. Oduro, Vida Adeti

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

This study examines how artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain technology address persistent challenges in federal nonprofit grant management. Through systematic analysis of government pilot programs and nonprofit technology adoption patterns, we develop an integrated implementation framework. Treasury Department and National Science Foundation blockchain prototypes demonstrate 40% reductions in administrative burden, with report generation decreasing from 40 staff-hours to seconds. Nonprofit AI adoption reached 92% by 2026, though significant disparities exist between large organizations (58% using AI for data analytics) and small nonprofits (19%). Drawing on interviews with federal agencies and grant recipients, this research identifies technical capacity constraints, regulatory complexity, …

Rethinking Ngo Sustainability: A Framework For Developing Support Structures Beyond Traditional Donations And Grants, Angie Holzer, Jackson Cooper

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

This thought paper examines the growing instability of traditional funding streams in the global nonprofit sector and argues for a fundamental shift in how sustainability is conceptualized. Moving beyond a narrow focus on financial capital, the paper introduces a practical framework of five interconnected resource types—financial, material, human, knowledge, and network resources—supported by a sixth foundational element, relational capital, or trust. Drawing on examples and applied models, the authors demonstrate how nonprofits can strengthen resilience and long-term impact by intentionally leveraging diverse and often underutilized forms of support. The paper also highlights the evolving role of board members, emphasizing the …

Intelligent Manufacturing Of Edible Oil: From Smart Sensing To Big Data Platform, Ru Jiang, Nadirbek Yusupbekov

Chemical Technology, Control and Management

With the rapid advancement of Industry 4.0 technologies, intelligent manufacturing and big data platforms are profoundly transforming the production models of the traditional edible oil industry. The edible oil production process involves multiple complex unit operations such as refining, decolorization, and deodorization, which impose high requirements on process control and product quality monitoring. This paper presents a systematic review of key technological advances in the field of intelligent manufacturing of edible oil, establishing a comprehensive technical framework encompassing four dimensions: smart sensing, artificial intelligence applications, IoT communication, and big data platforms. The review begins by analyzing the global background and …

Data-Driven Neuro-Fuzzy Modeling And Rule Optimization For Intelligent Prediction Of Bioreactor Dynamics, Kamala Najaf Mammadzada

Chemical Technology, Control and Management

Modeling wastewater bioreactors is a challenging problem in environmental engineering because the processes are constantly changing and the microorganisms do not behave in a linear or predictable way. This makes it difficult to predict and control the system behavior. This research investigates three artificial intelligence approaches for modeling wastewater bioreactors: the Mamdani Fuzzy Inference System (FIS), the Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS), and clustering-based fuzzy models. These models help us predict what is happening in the bioreactors. For instance they help us predict how the amount of substances in the water is changing over time like dS₀/dt dSs/dt …

Regular Synthesis Algorithms Of Control Devices In Nonlinear Control Systems, Husan Zakirovich Igamberdiyev, Iskandar Yusupovich Abdurakhmanov, Uktam Farkhodovich Mamirov

Chemical Technology, Control and Management

This paper examines the development of regularized algorithms for synthesizing control devices in control systems for polynomial objects, described by multidimensional Volterra functional series. The synthesis problem is solved using a two-stage procedure. In the first stage, the optimization problem is initially solved for an open-loop system. The second stage involves determining the parameters of the control device, i.e., its impulse response functions, by using the relationship between the characteristics of the open-loop and closed-loop systems. Regular algorithms are presented for finding the impulse response functions of the control device based on methods for regularizing the solution of operator equations …

Increasing The Prediction Accuracy Of Plant Oil Production Processes Through Adjusting The Parameters Of Machine Learning Models, Umidjon Ruziev, M.K. Shodiev, A.T. Rajabov

Chemical Technology, Control and Management

Vegetable oil production is characterized by high variability in output indicators due to nonlinear interactions between raw material parameters, equipment modes, and heat and mass transfer conditions. Existing approaches to applying machine learning in this field, as a rule, do not account for the impact of hyperparameter adjustments on forecasting quality across specific technological stages. The article presents a systematic methodology for adjusting model parameters (Ridge regression, SVR, GBM, LSTM) applied to three key tasks: predicting residual oil content in oil cake, color index during bleaching, and free fatty acid content during deodorization. In a set of 1000 observations, including …

Rdm Interval Arithmetic Based Weapon System Evaluation, Konul Imran Jabbarova Phd

Chemical Technology, Control and Management

For solving this issue, the paper considers a hierarchical multi-criteria decision-making problem, where the choice of a company that corresponds best to the criteria is required. Data used in this problem are presented in the form of intervals, which makes it possible to cope with uncertainty in the problem solution. Several companies working in missile production industry are chosen as alternatives for analysis. Evaluation of the selected alternatives is made based on five criteria clusters. More than twenty criteria are taken into account during evaluation.

Solving this problem is achieved with the help of the technique based on computation of …

Understanding Environmental Risk In 18th Century New Mexico: A Case Study From Las Golondrinas Living History Museum, Emily L. Dawson

Andrew Fiske Memorial Center for Archaeological Research Publications

This poster explores environmental risk and adaptation among Spanish colonial communities in eighteenth-century New Mexico through a paleoenvironmental study at Las Golondrinas Living History Museum. Using wetland coring, plant surveys, radiocarbon dating, and phytolith and pollen analysis, the project investigates local microclimates and environmental conditions that shaped agricultural decision-making during the Little Ice Age. Preliminary results identified multiple wetland environments, diverse plant communities, and sediment deposits capable of preserving environmental records extending before and through the colonial period. These data provide a foundation for reconstructing past landscapes and evaluating how colonists responded to climatic variability, drought, and resource uncertainty. By …

Cotton/Soybean Insect Newsletter, April 30, 2026, Jeremy K. Greene

Clemson University Cotton/Soybean Insect Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of A Training On Psychosocial Oncology For Mental Health Practitioners In Maine, Kevin Stein, Kathryn Burnham Phd, Lori Travis, Jamil Mouehia Bs, Dani Searle

Costas T. Lambrew Research Retreat 2026

To address this identified gap, Maine Impact Cancer Network (MICN) Rehabilitation & Survivorship Task Force hosted a full day, in-person training for mental health practitioners across the state with the goal of enhancing attendees understanding of and confidence in managing the psychosocial issues of individuals affected by cancer.

Optimizing Intermittent Compression Device Use To Reduce Vte In Surgical Patients: A Process Improvement Project, Allison Jones, Sonja Orff, Stephanie Verwys, Nora Fagan, Scott Statman

Costas T. Lambrew Research Retreat 2026

No abstract provided.

Silicone Wristband Based Passive Sampling Methods Development And Evaluation For Use In Community Exposure Studies, Emily Broniewicz, Sophie Novak, Kenneth Brown, Julie Peller

Symposium on Research and Creative Expression (SORCE)

Indoor air quality is a critical determinant of human health, particularly in communities located near industrial activity, where residents experience disproportionate exposure to harmful pollutants and spend a greater proportion of time indoors. Outdoor sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) include emissions from industrial processes, vehicle exhaust, fuel storage, and manufacturing operations. Indoor environments further contribute to personal exposure, as they are emitted from building materials, paints, adhesives, carpets, furniture, cleaning agents, personal care products, and consumer electronics. Combined, these sources create complex exposure profiles associated with adverse health outcomes, including respiratory disease, neurological impairment, endocrine disruption, and cancer. As …

Effect Of Simulated Microgravity On Candida Albicans Resistance To Caspofungin And Fluconazole, Kendall Carter, James Livengood, Gracie Holt, Liwia Zachara, Patrice G. Bouyer

Symposium on Research and Creative Expression (SORCE)

Candida albicans (C. albicans) is an opportunistic commensal fungus that can alter its behavior under low-shear stress modeled microgravity by exhibiting phenotypes associated with increased virulence. For instance, it has been previously reported that microgravity increased C. albicans resistance to amphotericin , but did not change its resistance to caspofungin. Here, we investigated how microgravity (5 and 6 days) influences the resistance of two C. albicans strains (SC5314 and NCCLS11) to fluconazole (25 µg) and caspofungin (5 µg). Drug susceptibility was assessed by measuring the zone of inhibition (ZOI) around the treatment discs after 24h of exposure under microgravity and …

Materials For Aqueous Zinc Batteries: Silver Tungstate Cathode, Yanni Flaherty

Symposium on Research and Creative Expression (SORCE)

With increasing reports of electrode active materials for aqueous zinc-ion batteries, it is valuable to determine if there exist reactivity trends which will guide the design of better performing devices. These trends are most precise if observed over a series of structurally related materials in identical testing conditions. Here, we will show a comparative study between two varieties of tungstate cathodes which suggest overarching structural features to pursue in the design of zinc-ion cells. This trend considers that many common active materials will not achieve complete redox reactions unless inactive components such as carbon and binder are added. The use …

Find Your Calling Valpo Video Game, Mason Tulacz

Symposium on Research and Creative Expression (SORCE)

This project is the development of a virtual, interactive career aptitude test set around the Valparaiso University Campus. The aim of this project is to create a tool that prospective students could use to explore options for their potential area of study, while also familiarizing themselves with Valpo's campus in a fun way. Players explore campus interacting with various torches which prompt them with various occupational questions taken from a US Department of Labor career test. Players answer the questions and upon reaching the end gain insight into what types of careers may be good for them, and how Valparaiso …